Myths About Prop 64, the Giant Pumpkin Contest Winner + More Local News

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Top 10 Myths About California's Prop 64 (With Footnotes), High Times

This misunderstanding of the law is at the crux of too many Californians' opposition to Prop 64, the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. (That's a link for a complete annotated text of Prop 64. All of the footnotes below cite the relevant part of the law.)

Prop 64 will legalize the possession and sharing by adults of one ounce of marijuana [1] and 8 grams of concentrate[2].

Prop 64 will legalize the home cultivation of six cannabis plants indoors [3], which no jurisdiction can infringe upon [4], and the home possession of all the marijuana harvested from those plants.

Prop 64 will legalize the licensure of buildings and festivals where adults may consume marijuana [5].

Prop 64 will legalize the cultivation, processing, and retailing of marijuana to adults [6].

None of those activities are currently legal in the state of California.Read more.

The 2016 Friendliest and Unfriendliest Cities in the U.S., Conde Nast Traveler

UNFRIENDLIEST CITIES: 2. Oakland, California: This East Bay city retains its no. 2 position, with one reader simply stating: "Some parts of the city are scary." But more readers thought that "Oakland is starting to renew itself. New eateries are popping up everywhere...most are local finds at this stage." Temescal Alley is still one of the hippest parts of the city, and the weekend markets are where you'll find the best of the city. Read more.

An annual pumpkin-weighing contest in Northern California has a new winner: a third-grade teacher in Washington state who raised a giant one weighing 1,910 pounds. Cindy Tobeck, 42, who lives outside Olympia, Washington, said her pumpkin grew steadily since she planted it in April, spending much of that time in a greenhouse with heated soil. She said the secret to growing giant pumpkins is using the right seed. Read more.

Blue Bottle Coffee Faces Challenges as it Moves to New Ground, SF Chronicle

No matter how many stores Blue Bottle Coffee opens — currently 25 and ticking up — there is always a line for espresso. The Perfectly Ground Coffee release is just one sign of the Oakland company's rapid, well-funded growth. Another: On Monday, 14 years after James Freeman started selling coffee at the Oakland Farmers' Market, the company announced that it was expanding to Boston, Miami and Washington by 2018. Blue Bottle is a test case for how big the beyond-Starbucks generation of coffee companies can grow without sacrificing their standards. Read more.

Tech Boom Lures the World Economic Forum to San Francisco, Bloomberg

The World Economic Forum, the host of the annual gathering of political and economic leaders in Davos, Switzerland, is planting a flag in San Francisco, as the area's technology industry grows in prominence on the global stage. The Geneva-based organization has chosen the tech epicenter for its second U.S. office, positioning itself near Silicon Valley heavyweights, said Murat Sonmez, who will run the new space. The nonprofit forum -- whose only other satellite offices are in New York, Beijing and Tokyo -- announced the new location on Monday at a conference in San Francisco. Read more.